UPS and The UPS Store to Host Holiday Twitter Chats

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UPS (NYSE: UPS) and The UPS Store ® will host three one-hour Twitter chats to help consumers prepare for a hassle-free holiday, including information about its newest product to take stress out of the holidays UPS My Choice.

Each session will feature an expert blogger and panelists (who are being compensated by UPS for their roles in these chats), and will discuss ways to create a hassle-free holiday. Chats will cover topics such as holiday packing and shipping tips, ways to make holiday travel easier, creative ideas to be “green” this holiday, and UPS My Choice as a hassle-free solution. UPS (@UPS) will introduce the discussion leaders and panel members and contribute to the conversation in each chat session, and a The UPS Store franchisee also will contribute to the conversation.

To attend, participants should follow the Twitter hashtag for that session. They also may participate by tweeting and including the session hashtag.

Three $25 The UPS Store gift cards and one grand prize gift card from a UPS business customer will be awarded during each session. To be eligible for a chance to win, attendees must actively participate by tweeting and including the session’s Twitter hashtag. Complete rules for each prize drawing are available at the UPS blog. Attendees also may RSVP for the Twitter chats by commenting on UPS’s blog at http://blog.ups.com/2011/11/10/ups-twitter-parties-help-take-the-hassle-out-of-holiday-planning/.

#HassleFreeHoliday – Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011 at 8 p.m. ET

Before the holiday shopping season kicks in with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the first session will help attendees get their holiday game plan in order. Using the #HassleFreeHoliday hashtag, mommy blogger Kelly Loubet (@Childhood) will lead a panel of expert bloggers as they discuss ways to take the hassle out of the holidays.

They will share holiday stories, shopping and shipping tips and ways in which UPS and The UPS Store are making it easier to plan and ship gifts this season, including the new UPS My Choice program. Attendees can share their own holiday stories by tweeting and including the #HassleFreeHoliday hashtag.

To participate in the party and be eligible for prize giveaways, attendees should include the party hashtag #HassleFreeHoliday in their tweets. In addition to the three $25 gift cards to The UPS Store awarded every 15 minutes, we’ll give away a $75 gift card to Soft Surroundings at the end of the party. Attendees are encouraged to review the complete rules for the prize drawings for this party.

#HolidayPacking – Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011 at 8 p.m. ET

Travel expert Emily Kaufman (@TheTravelMom) will lead a panel of expert bloggers as they discuss holiday packing tips, and invite attendees to share the craziest things they’ve shipped and received. The panel also will provide information on proper packaging materials and ways UPS and The UPS Store can lighten consumers’ loads when traveling for the holidays. Attendees can share their own holiday packing stories by tweeting and including the #HolidayPacking hashtag.

To participate in the party and be eligible for prize giveaways, attendees should include the party hashtag #HolidayPacking in their tweets. In addition to the three $25 The UPS Store gift cards awarded every 15 minutes, we’ll give away a $75 Wayfair.com gift card at the end of the session. Attendees are encouraged to review the complete rules for the prize drawings for this party.

#GreenHoliday – Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011 at 8 p.m. ET

CSR journalist and sustainability blogger Aman Singh (@AmanSinghCSR) will lead a discussion with Scott Wicker (@UPS), chief sustainability officer at UPS, to talk about ways to be environmentally conscious during the holidays as well as some creative ways to make the most of used holiday packaging, including crafts with kids. Scott also will share with attendees the environmental sustainability efforts of UPS and The UPS Store. Attendees can share their own green holiday tips by tweeting and including the #GreenHoliday hashtag.

To participate in the party and be eligible for prize giveaways, attendees should include the party hashtag #GreenHoliday in their tweets. In addition to the three $25 The UPS Store gift cards awarded every 15 minutes, we’ll give away a $150 Anderson Seafoods gift card, awarded at the end of the session. Attendees are encouraged to review the complete rules for the prize drawings for this party.

Facts

• UPS is the only company to offer consumers the ability to control their deliveries through the use of UPS My Choice.
• UPS will manage more than 58 million online package tracking requests on Dec. 20.
• UPS expects to deliver 120 million packages the week before Christmas.
• On Dec. 22, UPS expects to deliver more than 25 million packages worldwide, compared to 15.6 million package deliveries on a standard business day.
• On Dec. 22, UPS drivers will deliver nearly 300 packages per second.
• Most holiday packages are not lightweight (under 5 pounds). In fact, during the holidays, the average retail package shipped by The UPS Store is approximately 11 pounds.
• This year, there are 30 shopping days and only 20 shipping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
• Mondays are typically the busiest shipping days at The UPS Store.
• Dec. 12-16 is expected to be the busiest week of the year at The UPS Store.
• Customers can ship as late as Dec. 23 for delivery on Dec. 24 via UPS air services.

About The UPS Store

With more than 4,700 locations in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada, The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. ® network comprises the world’s largest franchise system of retail shipping, postal, document and business service centers. In the U.S., The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. locations are independently owned and operated by licensed franchisees of Mail Boxes Etc., Inc., a UPS subsidiary. In Canada, locations are independently owned and operated by licensed franchisees of master licensee MBEC Communications, L.P.

About UPS

UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight; the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide.